What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a serious mental problem that affects less than 1% of adults, in early 20s in males and during late 20s in females, globally.

History of Schizophrenia:

"Schizophrenia" was termed by Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss doctor in 1908. Before that, people with schizophrenia were thought to be punished by gods or controlled by evil spirits.

In the Middle Ages, people with schizophrenia were thought to be possessed by demons. People even did dangerous things like cutting holes in the skulls of schizophrenic patients to fix it.

Understanding Schizophrenia:

“Schizo” means “split” and “Phrenia” means “brain”, which means fragmented pattern of thinking. Schizophrenia and having split personality aren’t the same.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by psychosis, where people can't differentiate between what's real and what's not, disturbed thinking, emotional responses, and social interactions.

It can happen to anyone, and is caused by a mix of genetics, brain chemicals, and brain differences.

Symptoms can be different for everyone and includes:

• Delusions: Which means having false beliefs that aren't true, like feeling someone is about to hurt you.
• Hallucinations: Which means hearing voices , seeing, or feeling things that aren't really there.
• Disorganized speech: Which means having difficulty putting thoughts into words that make sense.
• Abnormal behaviour: Which means acting odd, or being silly and getting very upset suddenly.

Schizophrenia is diagnosed through medical history, physical examinations, and psychiatric evaluations to identify symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech, which is persistent for at least 6 months.

Source:-
1. Michael J Owen, Akira Sawa, Preben B Mortensen, Schizophrenia, The Lancet, Volume 388, Issue 10039, 2016, Pages 86-97, ISSN 0140-6736, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01121-6. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673615011216)

2. Rahman, T., & Lauriello, J. (2016). Schizophrenia: An Overview. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 14(3), 300–307. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20160006
 

Disclaimer:-This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment.Do not ignore or delay professional medical advice based on anything you have seen or read on Medwiki.

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